Highland Council support measures for Ukraine refugees 'unsustainable' without Scottish Government backing, report indicates
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More than 400 Ukrainian refugees are currently living in Highland hotels, including Strathpeffer, Inverness and Aviemore.
Highland Council has also welcomed 180 Ukrainian children and young people to its schools.
However, a new report ahead of tomorrow’s Highland Council meeting admits that the current support measures for Ukraine are ‘unsustainable’.
The council wants the Scottish Government to provide more information about future funding.
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Having previously rehomed Syrian and Afghan refugees, the Highlands offered a warm welcome to people fleeing the war in Ukraine.
On March 10, the council offered its “unequivocal support” to Ukraine, at the same time as granting the freedom of the Highlands to President Zelensky.
Now, an update report from the Highland Council outlines the scale of that support.
It states that more than 9000 Ukrainians are now living in sanctuary in Scotland, and the Scottish Government has issued 21,000 visas.
The Homes for Ukraine scheme had a flood of applications, with 86 Highland properties matched to 205 guests.
The Scottish Super Sponsorship Scheme aimed to make it easier for Ukrainians to get their UK visas, by removing the requirement to be matched with a private host before travelling. In the Highlands, 672 hosts expressed an interest in helping.
However, the Scottish Government has since suspended the scheme to alleviate pressure on councils and ensure that displaced people have the right support.
Highland Council’s report touches on some of those pressures.
As of September8, three Inverness hotels are hosting 181 Ukrainians. One of these, the Craigmonie Hotel, closed to local guests in August.
Outside of the city, two hotels in Aviemore are providing accommodation for 201 clients and one hotel in Strathpeffer has 39 clients.
The council expects the numbers to continue to rise in the next month.
British Red Cross volunteers visit the hotels to assist and support families. The council’s resettlement team is also working closely with the NHS and local groups to help families access activities, especially those with children.
They have started to pair hotel guests with private hosts in the Homes for Ukraine scheme, with 35 people matched so far.
However, the council report states: “There are concerns that continued hotel arrivals in Highland is unsustainable.”
Schools are a particular challenge. Since many of the Ukrainian refugees are families, 180 children and young people have registered across 42 Highland schools.
A large number of these schools – especially in Inverness – are already at or near capacity. There are challenges around providing school transport and interpretation services.
The council report also acknowledges the need to provide learning support and emotional support to young people traumatised by the effects of war and family separation. This puts extra strain on local NHS and school resources.
Looking ahead, the council fears that as the initial six-month housing agreement draws to an end, there could be an increase in homelessness. This in turn will add to demand for council housing – already in short supply.
Highland Council needs more money to maintain Ukraine support
Highland Council has so far received funding of £1.496 million from the Scottish Government. However, tomorrow’s report sets out the total spend at £1.537 million, creating a £41,000 annual budget pressure.
In a separate report, the council has already warned it faces an overspend of £9.6 million in this year’s revenue budget. The forecast budget gap for 2023/24 is up at £40.9 million.
As the council seeks to save every penny, it wants members to agree to write to the Scottish Government.
“We intend to write to Ministers seeking confirmation of the future funding arrangements,” states the report. “This will also include seeking confirmation from the Governments for the holistic, outcome focussed and flexible use of the schemes to cover the circumstances set out above in order to ensure family’s needs are met.”
Members will debate the proposals at a rescheduled meeting of the Highland Council tomorrow morning.
